Donald Trump, Jill Biden, Vianney… Emmanuel Macron invited around a hundred personalities to attend the reopening of Notre-Dame, scheduled for December 7, 2024. The event, described as “French pride” by the President of the Republic will notably bring together numerous heads of state.
An exceptional security system, inspired by that of the Olympic Games, is planned in a context of “very high level of terrorist threat”according to the police headquarters, cited by theAFPwith 6,000 police and gendarmes mobilized. Only guests will be able to access the square, the capacity of which is a maximum of 3,000 people.
If the Élysée has not yet communicated the list of expected personalities, certain names are already known. Here is what we know about the guests who will be present this weekend.
Several heads of state expected
Donald Trump, for his part, announced that he would go to Paris on Saturday. This will be his first trip abroad since his victory in the presidential election on November 5. “I have the honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France on Saturday to attend the reopening of the magnificent and historic Notre-Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored”declared the Republican on his Truth Social network, before greeting the “remarkable work” of Emmanuel Macron in the restoration of the building.
Current US President Joe Biden will not be present but will be represented by his wife, Jill Biden, during the ceremony. An invitation which is explained by the significant contribution of the Americans to financing the work of the cathedral, recalls Le Figaro .
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L’AFP also reports that the German head of state Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose role is ceremonial, and his wife Elke Büdenbender, will also attend the reopening ceremonies, according to the German presidency. According to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera Italian President Sergio Mattarella also responded positively to Emmanuel Macron's invitation. Greek President Ekaterini Sakellaropoulou will also be present, says franceinfo .
Artists in number
Shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday, a concert organized by France Televisions and co-transmitted by Radio France will be held in front of the cathedral. Lyrical singing and classical music will feature the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris and the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted for the occasion by Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel, specifies theAFP.
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Among the renowned artists also announced are the Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang and the South African soprano Pretty Yende, but also the French-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the French-Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, the French-Swiss tenor Benjamin Bernheim – who participated in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games – and the cellist Gautier Capuçon.
A pop touch will be brought by Clara Luciani, Vianney and Garou, three very popular artists in France, alongside the Franco-Beninese star singer Angélique Kidjo, indicates theAFP. Speculation continues to be rife regarding the presence of Pharrell Williams, multidisciplinary star and artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's collections. DJ Michaël Canitrot will have to close the evening.
And representatives of the Church
An inaugural mass presided over by the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Laurent Ulrich, is scheduled for Sunday morning, in the presence of 170 bishops from around the world, priests from the 106 Parisian parishes, but also “officials, patrons, invited jointly by the State and the diocese”highlights the site of the cathedral. However, it will be held in the absence of Pope Francis, who declined the invitation, preferring Corsica on December 15.
Read also: The rector archpriest of Notre-Dame de Paris wants access to the cathedral to remain free
Another must be held at the end of the afternoon for the public, upon registration. Tuesday, “all slots” available online reservations to access the cathedral have been “exhausted” in a few hours, indicated the Notre-Dame de Paris application around noon.
